Speakout is Truthout's treasure chest for bloggy, quirky, personally reflective, or especially activism-focused pieces. Speakout articles represent the perspectives of their authors, and not those of Truthout.

In light of President Obama's 2015 trip to Africa, likely his last trip to Africa as US president, it is appropriate to evaluate his government's foreign policies in Africa since he assumed office. Through this assessment, it is sadly plain to see that Obama's policies have not helped the vast majority of Africans. Instead, the policies have allowed the suppression of the African people's hoped-for democratic reforms, while simultaneously bolstering the power of corrupt African elites.

Compare Hillary Clinton's top donors to Bernie Sanders': 90 percent of the top 20 contributors to Hillary Clinton are corporations or provide services to corporations. 95 percent of the top 20 contributors to Bernie Sanders are unions.

Watchdog NGO Open Secrets monitors donations to US politicians and money in US politics. Open Secrets has compiled a list of the 20 largest donors to Democratic 2016 Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

James K. Galbraith, author of The End of Normal: The Great Crisis and the Future of Growth, answered questions that acTVIsm Munich put to him about the crisis in Greece. He provides his analysis on the voting results of the Greek referendum, austerity and its effects on the Eurozone.

The objective was to put a lid on the unregulated, speculative construction boom that earned the city its most contentious distinction of being the country's second most expensive place to live, just after New York City.

The workers' rights movement has exploded in the last few years, with fast food, agricultural and other workers staging strikes andother nonviolent actions to demand increased wages, benefits, and better working conditions. One group of workers that has received far too little attention is adjunct college professors.

According to data collected by the Chronicle of Higher Education, adjuncts at one college and two universities near my home in Southeast Florida earn between $1,380 and $3,000 to teach a fifteen week, three credit course.

In March, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed rules to crack down on predatory payday lenders. These rules would prevent many payday lending abuses and give consumers a way out of lenders' debt trap.

Under the CFPB's new rules, borrowers would first have to show they could cover their basic living expenses while repaying loans. Lenders could skip "means testing" and instead limit each person's total borrowing to $500 - with a single finance charge and no repeated charges.

Faced with the rising rents of commercial properties in cities, one New York organization is modeling a way for people to invest in permanently affordable, commercial real estate. The New York City Real Estate Investment Cooperative leverages patient crowdfunding - small investments by a large number of people over time - to turn vacant municipal properties into sustainable community resources.

Once Ghada Shoman, 20, and her brother Mohammed, 16, began playing music, their songs flew through the sky as if seeking the peace missing from their lives. But lately their music has become so much more.

"Now my voice and my brother's guitar are our 'weapons,'" Ghada says, staring out to what lies beyond the horizon. "During the last offensive on Gaza (in the summer of 2014), the resistance was inspired by national songs of bravery and a vision of future freedom. And now, so are we."

Out of our homeland and in the global north, we have to be intentional about the way that we use our influence to impact countries in the global south.

When I was in my first year of university I began actively studying all of the people and cultures that I learned nothing about in high school. Indigenous Studies, African, Caribbean and Latin American history.

Imagine running through endless rows of luscious trees that tower over you, while being enveloped by the sweet aroma of freshly ripened apples. Envision yourself walking your dog down a nature trail and being entranced by the transformation of green leaves to bright yellow, orange and red. See yourself walking through a calm, undisturbed forest, while the snowflakes slowly dance down all around you. Then, visualize yourself spending hot summer days running up vast sand dunes and diving head first into the clear, refreshing water of Lake Michigan.

Speakout is Truthout's treasure chest for bloggy, quirky, personally reflective, or especially activism-focused pieces. Speakout articles represent the perspectives of their authors, and not those of Truthout.

In light of President Obama's 2015 trip to Africa, likely his last trip to Africa as US president, it is appropriate to evaluate his government's foreign policies in Africa since he assumed office. Through this assessment, it is sadly plain to see that Obama's policies have not helped the vast majority of Africans. Instead, the policies have allowed the suppression of the African people's hoped-for democratic reforms, while simultaneously bolstering the power of corrupt African elites.

Compare Hillary Clinton's top donors to Bernie Sanders': 90 percent of the top 20 contributors to Hillary Clinton are corporations or provide services to corporations. 95 percent of the top 20 contributors to Bernie Sanders are unions.

Watchdog NGO Open Secrets monitors donations to US politicians and money in US politics. Open Secrets has compiled a list of the 20 largest donors to Democratic 2016 Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

James K. Galbraith, author of The End of Normal: The Great Crisis and the Future of Growth, answered questions that acTVIsm Munich put to him about the crisis in Greece. He provides his analysis on the voting results of the Greek referendum, austerity and its effects on the Eurozone.

The objective was to put a lid on the unregulated, speculative construction boom that earned the city its most contentious distinction of being the country's second most expensive place to live, just after New York City.

The workers' rights movement has exploded in the last few years, with fast food, agricultural and other workers staging strikes andother nonviolent actions to demand increased wages, benefits, and better working conditions. One group of workers that has received far too little attention is adjunct college professors.

According to data collected by the Chronicle of Higher Education, adjuncts at one college and two universities near my home in Southeast Florida earn between $1,380 and $3,000 to teach a fifteen week, three credit course.

In March, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed rules to crack down on predatory payday lenders. These rules would prevent many payday lending abuses and give consumers a way out of lenders' debt trap.

Under the CFPB's new rules, borrowers would first have to show they could cover their basic living expenses while repaying loans. Lenders could skip "means testing" and instead limit each person's total borrowing to $500 - with a single finance charge and no repeated charges.

Faced with the rising rents of commercial properties in cities, one New York organization is modeling a way for people to invest in permanently affordable, commercial real estate. The New York City Real Estate Investment Cooperative leverages patient crowdfunding - small investments by a large number of people over time - to turn vacant municipal properties into sustainable community resources.

Once Ghada Shoman, 20, and her brother Mohammed, 16, began playing music, their songs flew through the sky as if seeking the peace missing from their lives. But lately their music has become so much more.

"Now my voice and my brother's guitar are our 'weapons,'" Ghada says, staring out to what lies beyond the horizon. "During the last offensive on Gaza (in the summer of 2014), the resistance was inspired by national songs of bravery and a vision of future freedom. And now, so are we."

Out of our homeland and in the global north, we have to be intentional about the way that we use our influence to impact countries in the global south.

When I was in my first year of university I began actively studying all of the people and cultures that I learned nothing about in high school. Indigenous Studies, African, Caribbean and Latin American history.

Imagine running through endless rows of luscious trees that tower over you, while being enveloped by the sweet aroma of freshly ripened apples. Envision yourself walking your dog down a nature trail and being entranced by the transformation of green leaves to bright yellow, orange and red. See yourself walking through a calm, undisturbed forest, while the snowflakes slowly dance down all around you. Then, visualize yourself spending hot summer days running up vast sand dunes and diving head first into the clear, refreshing water of Lake Michigan.